Customer Reviews

The End Of The World/Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lushly arranged standards by the sultry vouced Julie London, both LP's are wonderful, together on one CD, on Nice Girls Don't stay For Breakfast there are some small group jazz sessions that are spectacular, particularly "I Surrender Dear" and "I've Got A Crush On You" show that Miss London was a jazz singer when she wanted to be. Comes highly recommended.

The albums that make up this twofer are typical of Julie's music of the sixties. Dominated by lush ballads, the tempo occasionally picks up a little, but never to more than mid-tempo. Julie was brilliant at singing intimate ballads and wisely left the up-tempo party music to those with stronger voices.

The first of these two albums (End of the world) is filled mostly with well-known songs. Julie delivers excellent covers of such classics as End of the world, Call me irresponsible, Our day will come, I left my heart in San Francisco, Fly me to the moon, Days of wine and roses, I remember you, My coloring book, Chances are and Desafinado (slightly out of tune).

The songs on the second album (Nice girls don't stay for breakfast) are generally less famous but no less brilliant. Unlike the first album, the songs on this album date mainly from the twenties and thirties. Perhaps the most famous song here is When I grow too old to dream, originally a number one for Glen Gray in 1935. Elsewhere, there are covers of I've got a crush on you (Joe Sullivan, later a hit for Frank Sinatra), Everything I have is yours (Rudy Vallee), You made me love you (Al Jolson), I didn't know what time it was (Benny Goodman), Give a little whistle (Cliff Edwards - from Pinocchio), I surrender dear (Gus Arnheim), You go to my head (Larry Clinton with Bea Wain singing) and There will never be another you (Woody Herman).

This twofer is essential for Julie's fans.

This twofer presents the late Julie London at her breathiest best. Her steamy, smokey-throated takes on an eclectic mix of songs and arrangements is enjoyable listening. London manages to give the Jiminy Cricket ballad from Pinocchio, "Give A Little Whistle," a new meaning, and she stays in the Disney genre with an awkward rendition of the Mickey Mouse March. London is no Mouseketteer, especially when singing the title tune, "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast." The first album, "The End of the World," finds London accompanied by a pulsating organ and background chorus that gives "Our Day Will Come" a hackneyed interpretation. But the choiciest tunes on this compilation are her jumpy "Fly Me to the Moon," "The Good Life" and "I Wanna Be Around."

This twofer presents the late Julie London at her breathiest best. Her steamy, smokey-throated takes on an eclectic mix of songs and arrangements is enjoyable listening. London manages to give the Jiminy Cricket ballad from Pinocchio, "Give A Little Whistle," a new meaning, and she stays in the Disney genre with an awkward rendition of the Mickey Mouse March. London is no Mouseketteer, especially when singing the title tune, "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast." The first album, "The End of the World," finds London accompanied by a pulsating organ and background chorus that gives "Our Day Will Come" a hackneyed interpretation. But the choiciest tunes on this compilation are her jumpy "Fly Me to the Moon," "The Good Life" and "I Wanna Be Around."

Julie London was blessed with one of the lushest and most seductive voices I've heard. When everything is on target, her version of a song is tops. On this combination of two albums from the 1960's, Ms. London's singing is as warm and enticing as ever. Unfortunately the person or persons providing the backup arrangements did not serve her very well. Altogether there are 3 or 4 songs where everything really clicks. On the rest the background instrumentals sabatoge the spirit and mood of the song. So far my favorite Julie London CD is "Julie London Sings the Standards."

Lushly arranged standards by the sultry vouced Julie London, both LP's are wonderful, together on one CD, on Nice Girls Don't stay For Breakfast there are some small group jazz sessions that are spectacular, particularly "I Surrender Dear" and "I've Got A Crush On You" show that Miss London was a jazz singer when she wanted to be. Comes highly recommended.

Julie London is one of the singers in America who put Jazz in the laps of everyone in the world and helped it to be accepted along with Blues.
Her music is unforgettable.....
As is her voice.........

"Years from now, if you should look back at the 'good old days' and think of 'the good old songs,' you're likely to think of most of the songs in this album, because they are more than just hits of the day. They're among the small percentage of songs which eventually become standards. One of the most important factors in making a pop hit into standard is the treatment the song gets while it is new. It takes a recording artist such as Julie London - an artist who interprets that special 'something' to a melody and lyric to make a song memorable. And certainly no one does quite as much for a ballad as does Julie, with her soft, sultry voice and her inimitable way of caressing a lyric line. So have a listen while Julie sings you some of tomorrow's great standards." ~ Liner Notes, 1963 ~

True enough, the writer of Liner Notes on the original LP The End of the World released in 1963 was exactly right on his observations about Julie London and the album's material, which I call "hit songs of yesterdays, great standards of today."

Julie London possessed one of the loveliest voices ever to grace the recording industry. From 1955 through 1969 she recorded numerous top-notch albums and she was one of the highly-regarded female singers of her time. She was one of the most remarkable singers whose vocal artistry I learned to appreciate at an early age being one of my late parents' favorite singers. They collected quite a number of her LP records which include two LPs combined in this wonderful CD, "The End of The World" and "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast." I remember my late mother once told me that Julie London was one of her favorites along with Doris Day, Jane Morgan and Kitty Kallen and a few others I can't recall now who possessed a combination of real beauty and talent. To me, listening to this CD evokes nostalgic sentiments and brings to mind fond memories of yesterdays with the music that my beloved late parents once enjoyed listening to. And not to mention that I was always hanging around with them on most of their listening sessions when I was growing up. How I loved browsing their collection of vinyl records.

The first twelve tracks were arranged and conducted by one of Frank Sinatra's best arrangers, Ernie Freeman and were taken from 1963 album "The End of The World" while the second half was arranged and conducted by Don Bagley from 1967 album "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast."

Julie London's vocal splendor can be best heard in "You Made Me Love You," "I Surrender Dear," "There Will Never Be Another You" and "I Remember You" - these are the very songs that the listeners can truly appreciate her gorgeous vocal art that is uniquely her own. She certainly made a statement with her softly sweet and sultry voice that speaks of timeless elegance, confidence and finesse.

This is a terrific twofer that I wholeheartedly recommend. And for more of Julie London's terrific twofers, please check these out: Julie Is Her Name, Vols. 1-2, Julie...At Home/Around Midnight, Julie/Love on the Rocks, Lonely Girl/Make Love to Me and Love Letters/Feeling Good. Ditto with Sophisticated Lady.